Primary Task Response

Part I: To prepare for this course, you want to review troublesome areas that you may have encountered in past math courses.

• Go to the Learning Center.
• Select “Learning Labs.”
• Select “Business and Professional Math Lab.”
• Click on “Presentations.”
• Review 1 presentation that you will find helpful to be successful in this course.
• Write 1 paragraph commenting on what you learned from the presentation and how you will benefit from continuing to visit the Mathematics Center.

Part II: Orders of operations provide an interesting discussion for this course because this topic is important in mathematics as well as in real-world settings. In almost everything that you do, you apply some form of order to ensure an accurate result (e.g., getting dressed each day, operating your vehicle, cooking, and tasks completed at work). In the discussion for this week, focus on the order of operations and how it applies in various aspects.

Please discuss the following concepts in your own words. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas:

a.  What are the steps for order of operations?

b.  Please discuss any memory devices that you have used to help remember this concept.

c.  Why do you believe the order of operations is important? In other words, why is it important to follow this order rather than solving the problem from left to right?

d.  Give an example of how you might apply the order of operations in your personal or professional life.

e.  List a mathematical problem of your own creation that involves using the order of operations. Your example should include at least 4 of the 6 steps in the order of operations.